Ring Of Honor
Date: February 5, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a special show this week as we have another Global Wars. In this case the invading forces are provided by Athena’s Metroplex promotion so we’ll be seeing some special guest stars. If nothing else, I’ll take this over some thrown together show with absolutely nothing going on so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Athena and the Minions against Hyan/Maya World/Deonna Purrazzo, which should be one of the show’s main events.

Demo Diamond/Reiza Clarke/LVJ/Kai Jai Wright vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Bravo takes Wright down to start but gets taken down with a running shoulder. They take turns running the ropes until Bravo hits a heck of a right hand. LVJ comes in and takes over on Dean before it’s off to Clarke vs. Adora. The women don’t stay in long as it’s back to Bravo for a Bronco Buster on Wright. Taylor comes in for the big shots in the corner but Dean’s half crab is broken up. It’s back to the women, with Clarke hitting a running forearm in the corner. A side slam gets two but Adora’s German suplex into a Saito suplex drops Clarke just as fast. Lariat Tubman finishes Clarke at 7:29.

Rating: C. This felt like a showcase for a bunch of the Metro wrestlers, but there is only so much you can get out of four wrestlers in a match that doesn’t even last seven and a half minutes. At the same time, the Promotions mostly ran over them, which didn’t make for a great match. It’s not a bad opener, but I still don’t get the appeal of the Promotions.

Red Velvet vs. Vertvixen

Non-Title Proving Ground match. Feeling out process to start with the teams trading some knockdowns until Vertvixen gets the better of things. A springboard elbow out of the corner gives Velvet two but Vertvixen is back with an armdrag into an armbar. Velvet is right back with an armbar of her own, at least until Vertvixen ties her in the Tree Of Woe for some rapid fire kicks. That’s escaped and Straight Out Your Mama’s Kitchen is blocked and Vertvixen’s Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Velvet is back with a spinning bulldog though and now Straight Out Your Mama’s Kitchen finishes Vertvixen at 7:05.

Rating: C+. Not bad here, though it felt like a match you would see on any given edition of Ring Of Honor. Vertvixen is fine as a good hand who can be brought in to make others look better. The good thing here is that she did so against Velvet, who is rapidly improving around here. She’s getting better month by month and that is nice to see, as it only happens in so many cases.

Christopher Daniels wants Skyflight to step up, say by facing La Faccion Ingobernable for the Tag Team Titles. The challenge is on.

Surf & Turf vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith

That would be Braddah Kaimi (Surf, your stereotypical Hawaiian surfer) and Phil Shark (Turf, a man in a shark costume). Keith starts with Shark, who does wrestle in the shark hat, which thankfully doesn’t last long. Kaimi comes in off a blind tag and slams Keith into a neckbreaker from Shark.

The team tries what they call the Harpoon, which results in Keith kicking Shark in the head to take over. We settle down to Keith dropping a knee on Kaimi but it’s quickly back to Shark to clean house. Bill chokeslams Kaimi hard onto the apron though and the back big boots drop Shark. The swinging Boss Man Slam finishes for Bill at 5:49.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a comedy match but Surf & Turf feel like a comedy team. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of an act going out there, but the match was only so much in doubt. Bill and Keith could wind up being something if they were given the chance, though that isn’t likely the case in Ring Of Honor.

MPX Women’s Title: Abadon vs. Ray Lyn

Abadon is defending and knocks her into the corner to start, meaning it’s a running knee to the head. Lyn is back up with a takedown and some right hands, which is reversed into a fight over leglocks. With that broken up, Lyn’s kick to the head gets two and she grabs something like an Indian deathlock. That’s broken up and Abadon is back with a swinging slam for two. Lyn’s bridging suplex gets the same but a quick Downward Spiral retains the title at 5:48.

Rating: C-. This was another match where they didn’t have much time to really get going. At the same time, it didn’t feel like it had much in the way of a story or anything besides the two of them just doing moves to each other. It certainly wasn’t bad, but nothing that stood out in any way.

Lee Moriarty vs. Exodus Prime

Non-Title Proving Ground match. They go to the mat to start and neither gets anywhere in particular. Moriarty gets an octopus hold and Prime falls into the ropes for the break. Prime comes after him but charges into a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle. Moriarty grabs a cravate and then ties him up with his legs, sending Prime over to the ropes again. Prime enziguris him into the corner though and a full nelson backbreaker gets two. A pop up powerbomb sets up the Boston crab, with Moriarty having to use his first break. Something like a tiger bomb into a Side Effect gives Moriarty the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. It was the kind of match you know you’re going to get from Moriarty and that means it was only so interesting. They traded some submission stuff and Moriarty eventually caught him for the win. In other words, it was just about the exact same thing that we’ve seen time after time from Moriarty.

Post match respect is shown.

The Premiere Athletes meets up with the Swirl in the back and they decide to team up to get rid of the luchador problem around here.

MPX Title: Delynn Cavens vs. JD Griffey

Griffey is challenging and strikes him down to start. Cavens gets back up to pick up the pace, only for a springboard to be broken up. Griffey drops him onto the apron, where Cavens hits something like a 619. The 450 gives Cavens two but a springboard misses as Cavens makes sure to avoid the referee. A shoulder breaker gives Griffey the pin and the title at 3:57.

Rating: C-. Uh ok. This was another match that didn’t go anywhere and just wrapped up in short order. Neither of them stood out in any way and unless commentary just didn’t tell us about it, there was no story to the title match. If they wanted this to be better, maybe cut out another of the match and give this one its time.

Hyan/Maya World/Deonna Purrazzo vs. Athena/Billie Starkz/Diamante

Athena and World start things off with Athena not looking overly worried. World takes her down a few times, with some headscissors getting Athena out and the two of them to a staredown. Athena’s dropkick works a bit better and an enziguri sends World into the corner for the tag off to Purrazzo.

That means Athena is quickly knocked down, as is Starkz, with a double suplex giving Hyan two. A double bulldog gets two more on Starkz but Athena offers a trip from the floor to take over. That leaves Diamante to come in with a Code Red and the villains start rotating in on World in the corner. A backbreaker gets World out of trouble and Purrazzo takes out Starkz on the floor, allowing the tag to bring her in. Purrazzo gets to clean house but Starkz saves Diamante from a powerbomb.

Everything breaks down and Athena deadlifts World. Diamante’s rolling Chaos Theory gets two on Purrazzo but she kicks free and tags…well actually Hyan and World at the same time. Athena has to make a save of her own and a double middle rope Codebreaker hits Hyan and Purrazzo. World dropkicks Diamante into the cover for the save and Starkz’s Swanton hits raised knees. A bridging cradle gives World the pin on Starkz at 11:42.

Rating: B-. Best match of the show by far here, which shouldn’t be a surprise as it had the most star power and actual story. Unfortunately this seems like it’s leading towards Starkz and Athena splitting, which has already happened (at least once) and now we might get to see it again. There is really no one else to go after the thing? Like someone who hasn’t headlined Final Battle against Athena twice?

Post match Athena yells at Starkz and Diamante to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Well, on one hand it was nice to see something fresh but at the same time it was another dull show. The ROH stars completely dominated the show and there was little in the way of storyline advancement. That being said, there are often all kinds of matches that don’t lead anywhere around here so it was the norm with some slightly different names. Hopefully the Skyflight thing leads somewhere, as a few title matches around here could do some good.

Results
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Demo Diamond/Reiza Clarke/LVJ/Kai Jai Wright – Lariat Tubman to Clarke
Red Velvet b. Vertvixen – Straight Out Your Mama’s Kitchen
Big Bill/Bryan Keith b. Surf & Turf – Swinging Boss Man Slam to Shark
Abadon b. Ray Lynn – Downward Spiral
Lee Moriarty b. Exodus Prime – Butterfly Side Effect
JD Griffey b. Delynn Cavens – Shoulder breaker
Hyan/Maya World/Deonna Purrazzo b. Athena/Billie Starkz/Diamante – Bridging cradle to Starkz

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 29, 2026
Location: H-E-B Center At Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re finishing up the month here and hopefully we get some title defenses around here. There are some titles that haven’t been defended in almost two months and that is quite an issue for a show with so many titles in action. Hopefully they find the time for some of those belts to be on the line so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We actually see the commentators. I don’t remember the last time that took place on the weekly show.

Athena vs. Vertvixen

Proving Ground match, meaning if Vertvixen wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. We get an error before the bell, with Riccaboni saying we’re a week away from Global Wars featuring Athena’s promotion, which has been postponed due to weather issues. Athena takes her down by the arm to start and nips up but Vertvixen is back with a whip into the corner.

A running Codebreaker drops Vertvixen just as fast and Athena pulls the nose for a right hand. That’s enough to draw some blood and Athena suplexes her to cut off the comeback. The cravate brings Vertvixen back up and she sends Athena into the buckle. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Vertvixen two and she knees Athena in the head. They fall outside, with Athena powerbombing her against the barricade to take over. Back in and Athena just unloads with rights and lefts, setting up the Koji Clutch for the tap at 6:55.

Rating: C+. This is the point where I once again ask what the point is of having Athena go on for so long as champion. We’re now into the fourth year of her reign and unless they think there is something into her beating Roman Reigns’ mark, what’s the goal of this? And please, not Billie Starkz winning the title. It’s not like there is some years long story between them but really, what else is there supposed to be?

Post match respect is teased….and the Minions run in for the beatdown. Hyan and Maya World make the save.

The Infantry and Trish Adora are in the back when Carli Bravo brings in the fan who has been helping him: Christian. She’s rather tall and the other two accept her.

Anthony Henry vs. Adam Priest

They lock up to start and go to the mat with Priest bailing out to the floor early on. Back in and they wrestle to a standoff until Henry gets in a cheap shot to the gut. That earns him a dropkick into the corner, where Henry gets in a neckbreaker over the turnbuckle bar. A neck twist keeps Priest in trouble but he’s fine enough to knock Henry outside. The baseball slide through the ropes drops Henry again and he jams his knees coming back inside. A piledriver gives Priest two but Henry catches him on top with a superplex…but Priest ties the legs up for a small package and the pin at 7:20.

Rating: C+. That was one of the better uses of that ending sequence I’ve seen as it isn’t something that often works well. They had a good enough match going with the neck work from Henry, though watching a mostly tag guy like Priest in a singles match only gets you so far. Henry continues to be a nice hand and that’s about it, which granted is about all he’s presented as being.

Aaron Solo vs. Tommy Billington

They lock up to start and go to the mat (oddly familiar) before forearming it out. A backdrop sends Billington outside and a belly to back suplex puts him down back inside. Billington gets caught in a sleeper but fights out and flips over for a clothesline. Billington goes up and hits a missile dropkick but the piledriver is countered. That doesn’t sit well with Billington, who hits a pair of piledrivers for the win at 5:20.

Rating: C+. Much like the previous match, it was entertaining while it lasted but I’m not exactly a lot higher on Billington for beating someone else that everyone beats. The match feels like someone put on here to give Billington something to do. That’s fine, but doing it in back to back matches isn’t exactly interesting.

Rocky Romero talks to Adam Priest, who doesn’t think much of the Don Callis Family. Priest talks about his wins and wants a title shot, say against Kazuchika Okada. That doesn’t work for Romero, who tells him to show up on Collision.

JD Drake vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Drake clotheslines him down to start and they go outside, with Henry hitting a rather hard chop. Shibata is back with a ram into the barricade and grabs a suplex for two back inside. Henry is back with a spinebuster and Cannonball, followed by a Vader Bomb for two. Shibata sends him into the vicinity of the referee though, which is enough for a low blow. The cross armbreaker makes Drake give up at 5:26.

Rating: C. This was another match with no reason to question the result and not enough time for the action to get good. That has been the theme of this show and it hasn’t made for the most engaging episode. As usual, Drake and Shibata were fine, but it isn’t a match I was overly anxious to see.

We get an ad for Global Wars. So I guess it’s back on?

Viva Van/Lady Bird Monroe vs. Hyan/Maya World

World flips out of an armdrag to start but Van dives over her for a standoff. Hyan comes in and isn’t about to get armdragged, allowing World to come back in for a bulldog. A legdrop gives Hyan two but it’s back to Van for a rolling spinwheel kick. Monroe grabs a front facelock, which is quickly reversed for a running splash in the corner. Everything breaks down and World hits a great running dropkick to Monroe. A wheelbarrow faceplant/Downward Spiral combination finishes Monroe at 4:04.

Rating: C. This is the first match of the show where it felt like the winners actually benefited. Hyan and World are still new around here and need some wins to establish themselves. That is what they got here, even if it was over a team of unproven stars. That’s about all you can ask of them here and while the match wasn’t good, it’s what Hyan and World needed.

Post match Athena and the Minions run in to beat down Hyan and World. Athena tells them to find a partner for a six woman tag next week at Global Wars. I’m assuming it’s happening, as otherwise this is a lot of avoidable false advertising and confusion.

Tony Nese vs. Mascara Dorada

Mark Sterling is here with Nese for some crowd insulting. Nese backs him into the ropes to start and flips over him out of the corner, meaning it’s time for some jumping jacks. Back up and Dorada flips around as well, allowing him to scare Nese down for some jumping jacks of his own. Nese knocks him outside for a cheap shot from Sterling (ignore the brace on his arm) and strikes away back inside. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Nese two and he grabs a bodyscissors.

That’s broken up and Dorada hits a kick to the head into a running headscissors to the floor. The big twisting dive connects and a springboard frog splash gives Dorada two back inside. Nese flips out of a German suplex and hits a double stomp, followed by a pumphandle driver for two more. Back up and Dorada strikes away before Nese misses a charge into Sterling. The shooting star press finishes for Dorada at 10:29.

Rating: C+. Well that happened. That’s kind of the mantra for the whole show and it’s not the best way to go. The good thing is that it involved Dorada in the ring, which is certainly a treat. At the same time you have Nese, who is talented but has been turned into such a low level player that it doesn’t mean much to beat him. As has been proven by everyone who has beaten him.

Overall Rating: C-. Here’s the thing: the wrestling was perfectly fine for the most part, with the worst match being completely decent. The problem is outside of setting up a six woman tag for next week (in theory), there was pretty much nothing changed here whatsoever. It was a bunch of midcarders having matches against even lower level stars for about an hour.

With so many titles around here, there is pretty much no reason to not be able to throw out even a token title defense here and there. Next week marks two months since Final Battle and six of the eight titles Ring Of Honor offers has not been defended since that show (the Pure Title has been defended since, while the TV Title hasn’t been defended since July). With the amount of wrestlers and titles available around here, there is no good excuse for that to be the case. Fix it already, because it could do some good things for this show.

Results
Athena b. Vertvixen – Koji Clutch
Adam Priest b. Anthony Henry – Small package
Tommy Billington b. Aaron Solo – Piledriver
Katsuyori Shibata b. JD Drake – Cross armbreaker
Hyan/Maya World b. Lady Bird Monroe/Viva Van – Wheelbarrow slam/Downward Spiral combination to Monroe
Mascara Dorada b. Tony Nese – Shooting star press

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 22, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re in Arlington for a change and as usual it’s hard to guess what we’re going to be seeing here. The rise of the Swirl is the big story at the moment, though I’m not sure where that’s going to go. Other than that, we get to see how long multiple titles can go without being defended since last month’s Final Battle. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Premiere Athletes vs. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington

We get a quick insert promo from the Swirl and Jay Lethal, who aren’t happy with Priest and Billington. Priest and Daivari fight over arm control to start and it’s Billington being taken into the corner. Nese comes in and gets elbowed by Billington but comes back with a headlock takeover. Some running shoulders do a bit better for Billington but Nese cuts him off with a chop block.

The arm is rammed into the apron as well and Billington can’t manage a spinning Tombstone. Nese wraps the arm around the rope, followed by the running neck snap over a different rope. A double clothesline gets Billington out of trouble though and the tag brings in Priest to start the comeback. Priest gives Nese a tornado DDT for two before grabbing a half crab on Daivari.

Mark Sterling offers a distraction but the Athletes collide. Billington gets low bridged out to the floor, leaving an assisted DDT to plant Priest for two. Priest manages to send them into each other though and the half crab goes on but Stori Denali is in with a chokeslam. The cover is broken up by Billington’s Swan Dive (nice job on the save) and Denali is stunned. Billington hits a dive onto Daivari, leaving Nese to load up the pumphandle driver. That’s reversed into a rollup though and Priest gets the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B. Those guys just had probably the best match of their careers as they went out there and tore the house down when they were given the chance. It’s the best match that I’ve seen on the weekly series in a long time and I have a great time with the whole thing. Heck of a match here with really good action and more than one hot sequence. Nice job.

Post match Lethal and the Swirl run in for the big beatdown, with the Athletes joining in.

Satnam Singh vs. Josiah Jean/Dante Leon

Singh takes turns throwing them into the corner for some loud chops but they escape a double chokeslam. A double chop block just annoys Singh and it’s a double chokeslam into a double pin at 2:25. This was every Singh match but with two opponents. I do appreciate that they’re just throwing him out there as a monster, though it’s not like he’s doing anything important and I can’t imagine that changing.

Video on Cru.

Alec Price/Jordan Oliver vs. Cru

The video hypes up Lacey Lane joining Cru so of course she isn’t here. Andretti and Oliver go to the mat to start before it’s off to Price to work on the arm. A dropkick puts Price down and we hit the armbar as commentary says that due to upcoming weather issues, the announced Global Wars with Athena’s promotion is postponed. Nothing wrong with that as it’s not something they can control.

Anyway Andretti gets elbowed down for a splash/legdrop combination but he fights his way out of the corner. Rush comes in for the alternating strikes to Price as everything breaks down. Cru is sent outside for a double suicide dive but Price is up to dive onto the two of them. Back in and an assisted top rope faceplant gets two on Rush but Price knocks Oliver off the apron by mistake. Andretti hits a running clothesline and the double Falcon Arrow finishes for Rush at 6:08.

Rating: C+. There was some nice action here, though my goodness can Price and Oliver actually win a match? It’s like the company is going out of their way to have them lose as often as possible. At the same time, I’m not sure what Price and Oliver are supposed to do around here. There are so many teams who can do the exact same style (including Cru, and the Rascalz, who haven’t even started wrestling yet) so….what are they going to be? Another high flying team of losers?

Post match, respect is shown, as I’m kind of surprised that Cru are good guys.

Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. Auzzy/Hitt/Gino Medina

Auzzy and Magnum start things off with Auzzy not being the most respectful. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to Media, who is chopped into a tag to Floyd. The rather large Hitt comes in to hammer on Floyd in the corner, which doesn’t last long as it’s Castle coming in. Suplexes and slams abound, setting up and Mega Powers elbow. The Bang A Rang finishes Medina at 3:25.

Rating: C. It’s another win for the good guys, though it would be nice if they could get a title shot already. I mean, it’s not like there are Six Man Tag Team Titles out there which haven’t been defended since early December or anything. Castle and the Outrunners are pretty clearly the best challengers (read as the only realistic ones at the moment), which is why it will likely be SkyFlight.

Deonna Purrazzo says she has to defend her legacy even after Madison Rayne left. The open challenge is on. You mean she’s going DEFEND THE TITLE? What a concept!

Matt Menard vs. Lee Moriarty

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Menard wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Moriarty wrestles him down without much effort to start so the rather loud Menard is back with a headlock. That’s reversed into a short armscissors so Menard uses his first rope break. This seems to confuse him, as no one but Moriarty seems to get how the rules work.

An abdominal stretch has Menard using his second rope break and a right hand earns him an official warning. Moriarty knocks him outside and Menard burns off some time in getting back inside. Menard gets in a knockdown but Moriarty forearms him down a few times. Some chops have Moriarty in the corner for some elbows to the head and the Boston crab goes on. Moriarty has to use his own rope but he reverses a piledriver attempt into the Border City Stretch for the tap at 8:18.

Rating: C+. In a shocking development, Moriarty wins another Pure Rules match. It’s been going on for a rather long time now and since he keeps beating every opponent, I have no idea why it’s supposed to be interesting anymore. The matches are fine, but they’re just there time after time. Give him a story, or at least a challenger/division already.

Post match Moriarty stays on him until SkyFlight makes the save. The rest of Shane Taylor Promotions run in for the save. I WAS KIDDING ABOUT SKYFLIGHT GETTING A SHOT!

London Dior/Rachael Ellering vs. Diamante/Billie Starkz

Athena is here with Diamante/Starkz. Ellering and Diamante start things off with Ellering running her over. Diamante fights back and fires off the forearms to the face but Ellering is back up with some chops. A double clothesline allows the tag off to Dior but Starkz cuts her off in a hurry with a kick out of the corner. Diamante hits a spinebuster into Starkz’s Swanton, setting up an ankle twist to make Dior tap at 4:47.

Rating: C. This was like a match from Superstars with Koko B. Ware and Barry Horowitz against a regular team. It might work for a bit when Ware was in there but then it went south the second after the tag. There was nothing else to this one, as Ellering is still the same as she has been for years now.

Post match we get a quick plug for the previously postponed Global Wars show, with what sounds like “next week” edited out. I’ve heard worse ways of getting around something like that.

Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. KM/Will Allday

Keith throws his gear at Allday and jumps him to start (fine with the referee), with the stomps having Allday in early trouble. Back up and Allday sends him outside for a quick dive, meaning the much bigger KM can come in. Bill is right there for the staredown, with Bill missing a charge into the corner. He’s right back with a splash though and it’s a running knee into a big boot. Bill’s swinging Boss Man Slam finishes Allday at 2:57.

Ace Austin vs. Johnny TV

Taya Valkyrie is here with TV. Austin starts fast and knocks him outside, where Valkyrie offers a distraction so TV can get in a shot. Valkyrie even gets in a cheap shot of her own, allowing TV to grab a choke back inside. That’s broken up and Austin fires off some corner clothesline, followed by a doctor bomb. Valkyrie offers another distraction but TV can’t hit Starship Pain. They strike it out with Austin getting the better of things until Valkyrie offers another distraction. A running anklescissors brings TV off the top though and the Fold gives Austin the pin at 7:03.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Austin winning, especially when he gets a victory despite Valkyrie getting involved. Austin is someone who feels like he could become an important player around here and while it isn’t much, headlining this show is better than nothing. Just get him somewhere more important already.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener was rather good and it was nice to see some titles actually addressed. There were still a bunch of people who feel like they’re just coming and going without doing anything important, but I’ll take the little advancements where I can. This show was at least a bit more focused this week, though I’ll need to see it last before I get a bit more invested.

Results
Tommy Billington/Adam Priest b. Premiere Athletes – Rollup to Nese
Satnam Singh b. Josiah Jean/Dante Leon – Double pin
Cru b. Jordan Oliver/Alec Price – Double Falcon Arrow to Price
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Auzzy/Hitt/Gino Medina
Lee Moriarty b. Matt Menard – Border City Stretch
Diamante/Billie Starkz b. London Dior/Rachael Ellering – Ankle twist
Big Bill/Bryan Keith b. KM/Will Allday – Swinging Boss Man Slam to Allday

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 15, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m not sure what to expect from this show because things are kinds of all over the place here, as usual. The only big story is Blake Christian coming after the World Title and now has Jay Lethal in his corner. Other than that, we have the usual assortment of people allegedly trying to get into title contention. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Angelico and Drake start things off with Drake wrenching the arm before sending Angelico into the corner. Some alternating elbows in the corner drop Angelico, who fights right back without much trouble. Serpentico comes in to work on the arm and drops a backsplash for two. The Veterans shrug that off and kick them down, with Drake working on Serpentico’s leg.

Gibson grabs a half crab, which is broken up, so Serpentico hits a quick backbreaker. Angelico comes back in to clean house with everything breaking down. Drake sends Angelico into the steps, leaving Gibson to give Serpentico the middle rope Codebreaker. Drake’s springboard dropkick finishes Serpentico off at 8:47.

Rating: C. In case you were wondering what a tag match between two teams going nowhere looks like, here you are. I’m assuming this was the way to heat the Veterans up before they get wrecked by Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, which makes me wonder about the logic when it’s in two different places. Either way, the technical stuff was fine, but these teams are so low on the totem pole that it just doesn’t matter.

Post match the Veterans promise the same for Kingston and Ortiz. Cue the two of them with chairs for the save.

Lance Archer vs. Vin Parker

Chops and a crossbody take Parker down and the Blackout finishes at 1:52. Total decimation, which will in no way get Archer closer to a title shot, even though he’s 15-0 here.

Kiran Grey vs. Shane Taylor

The rest of the Promotions are here with Taylor. Grey gets in a shot to the face and grabs a choke, which is broken up with pure power. A knee to the face rocks Grey and Taylor fires off some shoulders in the corner. Taylor’s big clothesline gets two but Grey sweeps the leg and gets two off a jumping splash. Taylor is back with a release Rock Bottom and his own big splash for two, followed by the right hand for the pin at 5:01.

Rating: C+. They pretty clearly see something in Grey and that’s not a bad thing. He certainly has something of a mystique to him and it’s interesting to see some fresh blood around here. It also helps that he got in a bit of offense and wasn’t totally squashed, so at least there was some protection here.

Frat House vs. Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Von Erichs

Karter gets dropkicked by Ross to start and it’s off to Marshall for a dropkick of his own. Solo comes in to neckbreaker Garrison, who catches him with a slingshot powerslam. The House takes Solo into the corner for some stomping before Jameson misses a middle rope backsplash. Marshall comes in to clean house and Vance clotheslines Karter by mistake. Stereo Claws set up the cutter to give Marshall the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. This was about what you would expect from these guys, though I did appreciate it being a bit shorter. The Von Erichs were their usual bland selves and Solo got to be the punching bag for a good chunk. The good thing is that it wasn’t long enough to get dull, making it more “well it could have been worse”, which is about the best you can hope for with these guys.

We look at Trish Adora beating Zayda Steel in last week’s mixed tag.

MxM TV vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Rare heel vs. heel mixed tag here. Valkyrie and Adora start things off, with Valkyrie hitting a basement clothesline to take over. Madden comes in to elbow Bravo in the back, setting up a finger tip double elbow drop. Mansoor gets caught in the wrong corner though and some clubberin sets up a chinlock. A belly to back suplex gets Mansoor out of trouble and the diving tag brings Valkyrie back in.

The running knees in the corner get two on Adora and they forearm it out. They clothesline each other and it’s back to Madden to clean house as everything breaks down. Mansoor spinebusters Bravo and hits a dive but we pause for a fan to get Mansoor’s attention. Bravo gets in a cheap shot (Bravo to the fan: “BE RIGHT BACK!”) to Mansoor, followed by the double stomp for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. I’m curious about the fan getting involved as it’s better than the same nothing matches that they have over and over. The Promotions are still about the same as usual, meaning they’re only so interesting, but MxM TV playing the heroes for a change made things a bit better. Just find something different for both of them to do already and things could improve.

Post match Bravo brings the fan over the barricade and she’s rather tall.

Red Velvet vs. Robyn Renegade

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Robyn can win or last the time limit, she gets a future title shot. Renegade uses the hair to pull her down to start but Velvet is right back with a short armscissors. That’s reversed into a fall away slam and Renegade throws her out to the floor. Back in and a springboard double stomp to the back gives Renegade two. They trade missed hand licking chops in the corner until Renegade grabs a sitout gordbuster for two more. Velvet gets fired up and hits a leg lariat, followed by the big left hand for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. There have only been so many success stories in modern Ring Of Honor but Velvet has been added to the list in recent months. Something has clicked since she returned from her injury and she feels like a star. That’s a nice thing to see and her matches are becoming one of the highlights around here.

Tony Khan announces that Ring Of Honor will be teaming up with Metro Plex Wrestling, run by Athena, on January 29. Athena is rather pleased. Eh it’s something different at least.

Dark Order vs. Swirl

Jay Lethal is here with the Swirl. Christian and Uno start things off, with Christian flipping him off in a few different ways. Uno is back with a knockdown into his own strut, allowing Reynolds to come in for a double basement dropkick. Reynolds fights out of the wrong corner but gets kneed in the face for his efforts. They go outside, with Christian using the chair for a step up forearm to the back.

The chinlock goes on back inside but Reynolds fights up and ties him in the ropes for something like a Black Widow. The tag brings in Uno to clean house, including a big boot into a DDT for two. Christian fights out of a Gory Bomb though and everything breaks down. A Lethal Injection is countered into a Gory Bomb/Codebreaker combination to drop Christian again. Johnson is back in for the save and a pair of basement superkicks knock Reynolds silly. The Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination finishes Reynolds at 7:05.

Rating: C+. The Swirl are the top heels around here, though I’m not sure where that is leading. In theory it sets up Christian getting a World Title shot, though he’s been ready for that for a rather long time now. At least they’re looking like a dominant team at the moment and I could go for seeing that continue for a while to come.

Post match the beatdown is on again until Tommy Billington and Adam Priest make the save.

Overall Rating: C. There were parts here that I liked, but one of the biggest issues was the simple fact that it featured so many of the same people that we’ve seen time after time. How many Lance Archer squashes can we see? Or Shane Taylor Promotions for that matter? Meanwhile, the Women’s Pure Title, Tag Team Titles, Six Man Titles and Women’s Title have not been on the line in about six weeks. Fix this, as it’s making for quite the annoying show.

Results
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Spanish Announce Project – Springboard missile dropkick to Serpentico
Lance Archer b. Vin Parker – Black Out
Shane Taylor b. Kiran Grey – Right hand
Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Von Erichs b. Frat House – Cutter to Vance
Shane Taylor Promotions b. MxM TV – Double stomp to Mansoor
Red Velvet b. Robyn Renegade – Left hand
Swirl b. Dark Order – Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to Reynolds

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 30, 2025
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

For reasons I don’t quite understand, we have a special edition of the show here from New York City. That’s in addition to this week’s regular show and it should be interesting to see what kind of thing we get here, with what should be in front of a bigger audience. Well in theory at least as that has not always been the case with these things. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Alec Price/Jordan Oliver vs. Death Riders

Yes it’s Yuta and Garcia, because they’re around a lot. The Riders jump them to start fast but Price snaps off a running hurricanrana. The villains are sent outside and Price hits a running dive to take both of them out. Oliver gets shoved off the top for a big crash to the floor though and he’s in trouble back inside.

A suplex gets Oliver out of trouble but it’s not enough for the tag to Price. Instead Oliver is sent into the corner and the Boston crab has him in more trouble. That’s broken up though and Yuta gets kicked away, allowing the diving tag off to Price. The pace picks up, including a moonsault over the Riders, who are right back with a double faceplant. Price gets double teamed and a running knee gives Yuta the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. Price and Oliver have done well in their recent appearances, which shouldn’t be a surprise as they have more than a bit of experience together. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them around a bit more often and it would be nice to have some more teams around here. Other than that, the Death Riders were the same thing they’ve been every time they’re together.

Mark Davis is 2-0 in ROH this year, with one of those wins being in February. This is vital information that you absolutely needed to know.

Mark Davis vs. Matt Mako

Mako, a former MMA fighter, kicks at Davis’ knee to start but charges into a slam. Davis hammers him down and we hit the chinlock. A suplex toss sends Mako flying but he’s back with a kick to the head. Davis sends him into the corner, only to get caught in a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well and it’s a big running clothesline to finish Mako at 3:22.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why we needed to have a video explaining that Davis had won a pair of matches here this year when one of them was only two weeks ago but oh well. At the same time, Davis isn’t someone who has done much either in AEW or ROH so this is at least something for him. I’ve liked the stuff I’ve seen from Mako so hopefully he’s around a bit more often.

We look at Athena not being happy with Billie Starkz.

Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Dark Order

Keith headlocks Silver to start but gets shouldered down, allowing the Order to hit a double basement dropkick. Reynolds is knocked outside and Bill hits a running clothesline to take him down again. Keith comes back in to knock Reynolds down and grabs a front facelock. That’s broken up though and it’s back to Silver for the rapid fire kicks to Keith. Silver tries the Spin Doctor on Bill but can’t keep him up, meaning it’s a big boot to knock Silver silly for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: C. Bill and Keith work well together, though I still have no idea why they’re stuck on this show. They wear at least established in AEW and it’s not like the tag division is overflowing with talent. Hopefully they get a chance to do something else, even if it’s around here, though there is a chance that it’s just to have Bill wrestling in New York.

Blake Christian wants a World Title shot against Bandido but instead it’s going to be Jay Lethal/Bandido vs. the Swirl on Thursday.

Satnam Singh vs. Charles Mason

Mason bites Singh’s hand to start and gets gorilla pressed for his efforts. A running crossbody and chokeslam finish for Singh at 1:42.

Back at Worlds End, Ace Austin said he wants a World Title shot at Bandido. Rocky Romero came in and a match was set up between the two of them.

Ace Austin vs. Rocky Romero

They go with the grappling to start until Austin armdrags him into a dropkick. Back up and Romero sends him outside, where Austin is back with a dropkick. They get back inside with Romero grabbing a quickly released ankle lock but the Forever Lariats are broken up. Austin is back with some clotheslines in the corner into a super anklescissors for two.

Romero kicks him in the head and they trade rollups for two each. A rather spinning leg trap roll up gets two on Romero, who is right back up with Sliced Bread for two. Austin gives him a suplex but the Fold misses. Instead Austin kicks him in the face and now the Fold finishes Romero off at 7:51.

Rating: C+. I still like Austin quite a bit and it’s nice to see him getting a bit of a showcase like this. He got in there and they even had something set up with the quick story before the match. At the same time, Romero losing isn’t going to hurt him because he’ll pop back up next time like nothing has changed, which is ok in a case like his.

Red Velvet vs. Janai Kai

Non-title Proving Ground match meaning if Kai can win or survive the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Kai takes her down by the arm to start and some hard kicks connect. Velvet is back up to send her into the corner and stomps away, only to dive into a superkick. A hard kick to the back gives Kai two and her armbar sends Velvet over to the ropes.

Kai’s slam is countered into a small package for two and something like a hammerlock dragon sleeper has the arm in more trouble. That’s broken up and Velvet hits a DDT but Kai cuts her off again. Some running kicks to the head stagger Velvet and a question mark kick drops Velvet. Back up and Velvet hits a heck of a slap for the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C+. This was much more about Kai taking it to Velvet, which is hardly out of the norm for her. Velvet got in a bit of offense here but it was mainly about her surviving against Kai with the kicking stuff. It’s good to see Velvet getting in the ring more often though, as she’s still doing the best stuff of her career so far.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It was a fine show, though I have no idea why this was some kind of a special bonus edition. There was nothing on here that really stood out and hopefully they have something a bit better/bigger for the week’s regular show. It wasn’t awful, but unless you’re a die hard Ring Of Honor fan, there wasn’t anything here worth going out of your way to see.

Results
Death Riders b. Alec Price/Jordan Oliver – Running knee to Price
Mark Davis b. Matt Mako – Running clothesline
Big Bill/Bryan Keith b. Dark Order – Big boot to Silver
Satnam Singh b. Charles Mason – Chokeslam
Ace Austin b. Rocky Romero – The Fold
Red Velvet b. Janai Kai – Slap

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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So we wrap up the AEW year with this one, which is more or less the end of the Continental Classic, the World Title match, and a bunch of other stuff that happens to be taking place on the show. The tournament has taken over the company (as it always does) and while it has gone well (as it always does), it has made quite a bit around here feel a lot less important. For now though, we should be in for some solid action so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Zack Gibson vs. Eddie Kingston

This was added on this week’s Ring Of Honor as the Grizzled Young Veterans attacked Kingston. I’m not sure how much of a build this match really needs, but at least it’s something that gets Kingston in the ring. The fans are going to respond to him rather well and it helps him get back into the groove of things, which he has been needing since his return from injury.

There’s no reason to believe that Kingston is going to lose here so I’ll take the obvious with Kingston getting the win. He’s fighting half of a low level tag team in a match that shouldn’t go much longer than about five minutes. In this case, AEW might even stick to the time frame, as Kingston has mainly been wrestling shorter matches. He’ll get another win here, as he should.

Zero Hour: Sisters Of Sin vs. Hyan/Maya World

Here we have another match where it doesn’t feel like there is much to doubt as the Zero Hour continues to feel like a glorified episode of Rampage. I’m still not sure why we need to have the Sisters get a featured match here, but maybe they’re next in line to come after the Women’s Tag Team Titles. If nothing else, they’re already an established team so there are far worse ideas out there.

Of course I’ll take the Sisters to win, as while the division needs some fresh blood, there is no reason to think that the Sisters should lose here. They’re a fairly featured team and it would make sense for them to get a win here, especially if they might be coming for the titles soon. Hyan and Worlds continue to get time in the ring and I’ve heard worse ideas, even if there is a chance that it’s just to spite Miranda Alize and Nixon Newell.

Death Riders vs. Conglomeration/Roderick Strong/Toni Storm

So this is a thing and yes it is indeed called the Mixed Nuts Mayhem match, because if there’s one thing that you need for a Death Riders match, it’s a funny moniker. It’s likely going to be a wild brawl with some interesting bits, though I’m still completely good with not seeing Daniel Garcia and/or Wheeler Yuta for a long time. Throw in Claudio Castagnoli going from a dark horse to win the Continental Classic to this and it’s a bit of a downgrade.

I’ll take the heroes to win here, just for the sake of not having Storm lose again. Mark Briscoe could use a win of his own and the fans will always respond to Orange Cassidy, so it makes a bit of sense to get them on the card. Hopefully the match winds up being more goofy fun than anything else, as that’s probably the best way to feature most of them. Either that or Yuta and/or Garcia being beaten up rather badly.

Darby Allin vs. Gabe Kidd

This is kind of a weird story, as Allin was gone for most of the tournament but he’s able to be back to face Kidd in this match. I’m not sure how much I need to see Allin get beaten up again, but it’s pretty much his standard operating procedure. That’s probably what we’re going to be seeing in this one, though it’s a bit weird as Kidd just showed up again after being gone for months and is facing Allin again.

I’m not sure where to go here, though I’ll take Allin, as he could use a win after quite a long stretch of nothing good. Granted it also depends on if Kidd is sticking around, as he could use a nice victory of his own. Given what we know at the moment though, I’ll take Allin to get the come from behind win, as it’s easy to get behind him fighting a bully and that’s what we’re getting here.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Babes Of Wrath(c) vs. Athena/Mercedes Mone

This one has me intrigued, as the Babes are the new team and the inaugural champions, though it’s almost hard to imagine Mone or Athena losing again. Mone is already on a losing streak but there isn’t much value in beating her without a title on the line. At the same time you have Athena, who hasn’t done much in Ring Of Honor as of late but doesn’t have the best history in AEW.

I’ll go with the champions to retain here, as it would be something of a stretch to have them lose the titles so soon after they started. Hopefully it winds up being a good match, as the Babes have gone from newly formed to a rather nice team in short order. They need some time to establish themselves a bit better before dropping the titles though and that can be done when they win here.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Bang Bang Gang

It’s a street fight and a rematch from a few weeks ago when FTR beat the Gang to retain the titles. That doesn’t make for the best reason to do the match again, but it isn’t like FTR has anything else to do at the moment. With so many people involved in the tournament, there are some tag teams who are more than a bit busy. Hopefully that changes shortly after the tournament, but this is what we have for now.

Much like when they fought a few weeks ago, I see no reason to believe that FTR is going to lose to the leftovers of the Bang Bang Gang so we’ll go with FTR retaining. I like the Gang for the most part, but they’re only going to get so far with one of the Gunns and Juice Robinson going for the titles. FTR wins here, in what should at least be an entertaining match.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Jamie Hayter

The title is on the line here, but it only feels so important. The Women’s Title hasn’t felt overly important in a good while, which is at least partially due to how much else is going on in the women’s division. Statlander is still going well, but she needs to do something that makes her stand out a bit more. I’m just not sure that’s what we’re going to be seeing here.

While I’m not sure it’s going to work out, I’ll take Statlander to retain here. As much as she doesn’t seem to be doing much at the moment, Hayter is hardly doing that much better. Either of them could be fine as champion, but they’re going to need to step up it up. The tag division, plus whatever Toni Storm is doing, both feel more important and that needs to change. For now though, I’ll take Statlander in a coin flip.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Continental Classic Semifinals: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada

I’m not even going to begin to try to make sense of the title situation here, if nothing else due to how ridiculous it’s been. This has been built up as a big time match for a good while now and that should make things all the more interesting. It’s nice to have a match that feels like it’s taking place more due to people having issues rather than a schedule saying they’re fighting. Or at least it’s close enough.

I’ll take….geez I guess Okada here, as all of the hype about him being the GREATEST TOURNAMENT WRESTLER OF ALL TIME all but guarantees him a spot in the finals. At the same time, it’s hard to fathom the IWGP World Champion being allowed to lose, especially around a week before Wrestle Kingdom. I’ll go with Okada winning here, though it doesn’t feel like anything close to a lock.

Continental Classic Semifinals: Jon Moxley vs. Kyle Fletcher

This is the kind of thing that could go either way, but it feels more like a way to get Moxley back on track. He’s been having all kinds of issues as of late and it would be nice to see him at least get to the finals. At the same time, Fletcher is in a place where it wouldn’t be insane to see him beat Moxley. That’s quite the accomplishment, and it’s nice to have a match which could go either way.

I think I’ll go with Moxley winning here, as his attempts to get back on track feel like a better story at the moment. At the same time, it’s a bit hard to fathom an all Don Callis Family final, as it would feel fairly cold outside of Okada vs. Takeshita. Moxley wins here and sets up a pretty big final, though we’ll get to that later, as it should probably headline the show.

AEW World Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

I’m not sure what it means that I keep forgetting Joe is the World Champion but that has happened multiple times in a fairly short reign. Joe is already a two time World Champion and he still feels like something of a forgotten part of the match. Maybe it’s due to being part of the Trios Champions or facing a two man team of heroes or maybe it’s MJF feeling like such a big deal, but it might be time to get the title off of Joe.

At the end of the day, it’s almost hard to fathom anyone but MJF leaving as champion here. He returned a few weeks ago and immediately stood out and it would make sense to put the title back on him (assuming he’s sticking around full time). MJF hasn’t been champion in a good while now and he’s already feeling like one of the top names in AEW. Give him the title back and see what he can do with it.

Continental Classic Finals: Jon Moxley vs. Kazuchika Okada

Again, I’m not even going to try to figure out how the title situation works (and for the love of all things good and holy, please don’t explain it to me), but it seems that Okada leaves with a title one way or another. That gives him quite the out in possibly losing here and it’s not like him losing the Continental Title is going to hurt in any meaningful way. He’s been champion pretty much forever so it’s time to get it off of him.

As you can probably guess, I’m going with Moxley winning here, as it splits up some titles and hopefully clarifies things a bit. If nothing else, I could go for getting rid of the whole Unified Title or whatever happens here, as there are FAR too many titles in AEW already. Moxley needs the win anyway and it could be a big step in what feels like the start of a face turn for him anyway, because that’s what the world is waiting to see.

Overall Thoughts

It’s pretty clear that the Continental Classic has been carrying the show for the last month or so, if nothing else due to the amount of talent involved. At the same time, it hasn’t exactly done much good for everything else in the company. The top of the card feels big enough, but they’re going to need someone to step up to bolster the undercard. Thankfully that’s where AEW tends to thrive so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 26, 2025
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a special Boxing Day edition, logically called Boxing Day Brawl. That should mean a big special show, with the Pure Rules Title on the line as Lee Moriarty defends against Komander. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we might be getting around here, as tends to be the custom. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

James Drake vs. Eddie Kingston

Zack Gibson is here with Drake and insults New York City, which brings Kingston out with a chair to smash both of them. Drake gets up and jumps Kingston to officially start things off, with commentary saying we have to make sure it’s a fair beginning. After one of them got smacked with a chair.

Kingston chops his way out of the corner but a neckbreaker is cut off. A kick to the head misses for Drake though and Kingston pulls him into the Stretch Muffler. Gibson offers a distraction though and Drake is back with a middle rope dropkick. Kingston is back with another neckbreaker but Drake’s running dropkick in the corner gets two. Drake goes up but dives into an exploder suplex, setting up the DDT to give Kingston the pin at 5:33.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t exactly in doubt, but it served as a way to give the fans something to cheer over because the loudmouthed heel. That’s a smart path to take on the opening match on a show like this as it’s worked forever in wrestling. If nothing else, Kingston needs the reps to get back to his old self after being out for so long.

Post match Gibson jumps Kingston and Drake adds a low blow. Drake’s top rope dropkick leaves Kingston laying and the villains talk a lot of trash.

Santa Claus is in the ring before the next match but the Premiere Athletes interrupt. Claus isn’t a fan of the team (who apparently helped with his weight loss) so Stori Denali gives him a chokeslam.

Premiere Athletes vs. VSK/Jon Cruz/Ashley Vox

Nese poses at VSK to start but VSK jumps over him and poses as well. Cruz comes in and gets taken into the corner to keep up the beating before it’s off to Vox. The chokeslam is broken up and Nese hits a dive over the top, leaving Denali to chokeslam Vox for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C-. Well that was in fact a Premiere Athletes squash and that’s pretty much what they do a good chunk of the time. I’m not sure what makes this one any different than how they do it most of the time but here we are. Denali continues to be impressive, albeit in rather short sports. I’m just not sure what the three of them can do anytime soon.

Komander, wearing a backpack, is ready to face Lee Moriarty for the Pure Title.

Video on Athena/Mercedes Mone challenging the Babes Of Wrath for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Rebecca Scott

Commentary says Shirakawa is trying to get back in Women’s TV Title contention. Why wouldn’t she want to go after Athena? She’s already lost to Athena as well so why go after the midcard title? Shirakawa gets to dance to start before dropping her with a Sling Blade. A top rope Sling Blade connects as commentary says Shirakawa took the Interim Women’s TV Title to new heights. As in the title she held for three months and successfully defended one time??? I love Riccaboni but he says some questionable things at times. The figure four makes Scott tap at 2:01.

Jay Lethal wants to team with Bandido to get rid of the Swirl. Sure.

Swirl vs. Alec Price/Jordan Oliver

Christian cuts Price off to start and sends Oliver outside. That doesn’t last long as Oliver is back in for a Fameasser but the Swirl knocks both of them to the floor. The flip dive connects for Johnson so the Swirl gets to pose a bit. Back in and Christian chinlocks Oliver, who manages to fight up for something of a hip attack. Price comes in to clean house, including a springboard clothesline to drop Johnson. A rebound clothesline does the same to Price and something like a springboard Steiner Bulldog (close enough) gets two. Price is sent outside though and it’s the Lethal Brainbuster to finish Oliver at 6:37.

Rating: B-. Oliver and Price are a good enough team to warrant another look and despite being presented as boring or uninteresting, Swirl is more than fine in the ring. If nothing else, it was nice to have something a bit more competitive on the show, even if there was no reason to believe Oliver and Price were going to win. Bring them back though, as the tag div…ok there pretty much isn’t a tag division but it would be nice to have them around again.

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Zack Gibson vs. Bryce Donovan

Donovan is fresh out of the WWE ID Program and gets taken down to start. Back up and Donovan gets in a running clothesline, only to get kicked out to the floor. They get back inside and Gibson kicks him down, setting up a neck crank. Donovan fights up and hits a running clothesline into a swinging Boss Man Slam for two. A charge in the corner misses though and it’s a middle rope Codebreaker to drop Donovan. Gibson clotheslines him for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C. During the match, Gibson vs. Eddie Kingston was announced for the Worlds End Zero Hour. That made this match the warmup for tomorrow, which probably wasn’t needed after Gibson laid Kingston out earlier tonight. Donovan showed about the same talent that was on display in the ID Program, meaning bringing him back won’t make much of a difference one way or another.

Dalton Castle and the Outrunners are jumped by MxM TV, who want a Fight Without Honor next week.

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Boom & Doom vs. Frat House

Big Justice, Aaron Solo and the rest of the Frat House are here too. Karter ducks Marshall to start and poses, meaning it’s Marshall being taken into the corner for some shots to the head. That’s broken up and AJ comes in for a quick powerslam to Garrison. Back up and Garrison chokes on the rope, with Marshall trying to come in, allowing Karter to get in a cheap shot.

A belly to belly suplex gets AJ out of trouble and the tag brings in Marshall to clean house. Marshall hits a big running flip dive to the floor but a cheap shot earns him a group stomping on the floor. Back in and Garrison’s armbar keeps Marshall in trouble, allowing Karter to kick him down. Garrison misses a splash in the corner but AJ is knocked off the apron.

A flapjack/big boot combination gets two on Marshall, who is sent outside. Big Justice and Solo won’t let him get smashed by a chair but they all do get ejected. Back in and Marshall Downward Spirals Garrison, allowing the tag off to AJ. The Powerboom is broken up and everything breaks down, with Garrison breaking it up. A Powerboom/Blockbuster combination finally finishes Karter at 12:01.

Rating: C+. Well that was rather long, which isn’t the most positive way to describe a Frat House match. AJ isn’t likely to lose any match he’s in and his novelty has already worn off. He’s perfectly fine, but that doesn’t make for the most thrilling time in the ring. The match was acceptable enough, but it wasn’t exactly anything different than what you would expect from AJ and company.

Lee Moriarty is ready to beat Komander again, as he tends to do with everyone.

Lio Rush vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata won’t shake hands to start but will take over with a knuckle lock. That’s broken up and they run the ropes until Rush gets two off a rollup. Shibata takes him outside for a suplex on the floor, followed by a ram into the barricade. They head back inside, with Shibata getting kicked right back to the floor for a suicide dive. Shibata is fine enough to grab a suplex but the springboard Stunner brings him right back down for two. The Final Hour is broken up though and it’s a low blow to set up Shibata’s cross armbreaker for the tap at 6:11.

Rating: C+. Rush was bringing his usual energy here and it made for a fairly nice match while it lasted. That being said, Shibata as a heel isn’t exactly interesting, especially when he’s currently doing something as part of a team in AEW. I have no idea why he’s in Ring Of Honor, though he’s now 21-0 and nowhere near a title match, though that’s a bit too logical around here.

Pure Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Komander

Moriarty is defending and bounces out of an early hammerlock attempt. Komander gets out of a cross armbreaker and a Border City Stretch, the latter of which is from the first rope break. Moriarty’s wristlock is broken up and Komander backflips out of the corner for a staredown. That earns him a spinning faceplant and Moriarty is looking rather confident.

A waistlock keeps Komander down and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch, complete with a stomach claw. That’s broken up and Komander goes to the ropes (not for a break) so Moriarty pulls on a regular abdominal stretch. Komander breaks out of it again and tries a springboardy armdrag, which is reversed into an STF. That means the second rope break before Komander dropkicks the leg out. A running DDT gives Komander two and he walks the ropes into a crossbody.

The Fang gives Moriarty two more as Komander uses another rope break. The Border City Stretch is countered into a rollup for two and a standing Spanish Fly gives Komander the same. Moriarty is sent outside for a heck of a springboard moonsault but bangs up his own ribs in the process. Back in and poisonrana gives Komander two, followed by a cross armbreaker to make Moriarty use his first rope break. Cielito Lindo hits raised foot though and a Gory Special in the ropes makes Komander give up at 14:37.

Rating: B-. It was the usual fine Moriarty match and that’s about all. While Komander did feel like someone who could take the title and the match was built up, it feels like Moriarty is going to finally drop the thing on a much bigger stage. At least it felt like a main event and was treated like one though and that helps a lot.

Overall Rating: C. Apparently this qualifies as some kind of a special episode around here, with one match that felt big and I guess Boom & Doom as the second biggest match on the card. Other than that, it was just the usual cast of characters doing the same stuff they do so often around here. That’s why Ring Of Honor is such an afterthought so much of the time, and if this special is any indication, it’s going to remain that way for a long time.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. James Drake – DDT
Premiere Athletes b. VSK/Jon Cruz/Ashley Vox – Chokeslam to Vox
Mina Shirakawa b. Rebecca Scott – Figure four
Swirl b. Alec Price/Jordan Oliver – Lethal Brainbuster to Oliver
Zack Gibson b. Bryce Donovan – Clothesline
Boom & Doom b. Frat House – Powerboom/Blockbuster combination to Karter
Katsuyori Shibata b. Lio Rush – Cross armbreaker
Lee Moriarty b. Komander – Gory Special in the ropes

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision
Date: December 25, 2025
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the last night of the Continental Classic, or at least the league stage, and that means we should be in for something interesting. There is a six way tie in the Gold League so something is going to have to give as we move on to Saturday. We also have an extended show this week, because AEW loves content. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at the Continental Classic, as you probably expected.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kyle Fletcher (6 points) vs. Jack Perry (6 points)

They circle each other a bit to start with Fletcher avoiding a dropkick but not being able to get anywhere with a grab of the (previously injured) leg. Instead Fletcher stomps on the leg and grabs a half crab. That’s broken up and Perry avoids a charge in the corner to send Fletcher outside. Fletcher cuts off a hurricanrana and powerbombs him onto the apron before slamming Perry into the corner.

With Perry down, Fletcher starts taking off Perry’s boot. Referee: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Fletcher: “I’M TAKING HIS BOOT OFF!” A big stomp onto the apron onto the step has Perry in more trouble as we take a break. We come back with Perry hitting a dropkick but hurting his ankle again. Perry knocks him outside and hits a sitout bulldog on the floor. Fletcher is able to hit a brainbuster on the floor, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two. Perry fights out of trouble on top and hits a super sunset bomb.

The running knee is countered into another half crab, but Perry reverses that into the Snare Trap, leaving Fletcher panicking. One finger on the rope gets Fletcher out of trouble and he knocks Perry back again. The sitout powerbomb is countered into a Code Red, setting up a piledriver for two. Perry knocks him off the top but gets caught with a running boot to the face. The brainbuster finishes Perry at 19:20.

Rating: B+. Heck of a match here with Perry trying to fight from underneath with the leg injury. It made Fletcher look like that much more of a killer as he was going after the damaged Perry, who managed to make it more than interesting. I liked this more than I was expecting as Fletcher likely moves on to the next round.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kevin Knight – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Pac – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Jack Perry – 6 points (0 matches remaining)

Kyle O’Reilly tries to tell Roderick Strong to lean on the Conglomeration and to never give up. Strong seems encouraged.

Continental Classic Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (10 points) vs. Mascara Dorada (6 points)

Dorada works on the arm to start before grabbing a rollup for two. Takeshita stomps him down in the corner and knees him in the face but Dorada is back with a springboard wristdrag. The big dive to the floor only hits barricade though and we’re back with Dorada grabbing a rather spinning headscissors.

Another springboard is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb to give Takeshita two. Dorada’s charge is cut off with a clothesline but he’s able to grab a super hurricanrana. They trade rollups for two each before Dorada’s running shooting star press gets two more. Takeshita is back with a running knee and the Raging Fire finishes Dorada off at 11:39.

Rating: B-. It was hard to imagine Dorada being a major threat to Takeshita here, which is kind of a shame as Dorada has been showcasing himself rather well in recent months. He’s someone who could be quite the star if he’s given a chance, but Takeshita is going to be a favorite to win the whole tournament. Let him look strong going into the semifinals this weekend.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 13 points (0 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Jon Moxley – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 6 points (0 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (1 match remaining)

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli (7 points) vs. Roderick Strong (0 points)

Castagnoli hits a running uppercut for an early two and Strong rolls him up for the same. Another uppercut sends Strong outside and Castagnoli dumps him over the barricade. Back in and Strong grabs an Angle Slam, followed by some jumping knees for the VERY quick pin at 3:22.

Rating: B-. Well ok. During this match I was thinking that I really didn’t need to see a long match between two people who have no realistic chance to win the tournament and they didn’t give me one. Well done on throwing in a curve ball there, as you do not see short matches like this in the tournament at all.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 13 points (0 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 6 points (0 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 3 points (0 matches remaining)

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat down Strong but Mark Briscoe runs in for the save. Toni Storm comes in to go after Marina Shafir and gets a kiss on the hand from Briscoe, leaving Storm with the vapors.

The Bang Bang Gang wants a rematch from FTR, with Stokley Hathaway accepting for Worlds End.

Worlds End rundown.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kevin Knight (6 points) vs. Pac (6 points)

Pac takes him up against the ropes to start so Knight grabs a wristlock. A running shoulder puts Knight down but he sends Pac outside for a breather. Back in and they chop it out until Knight sends him outside again. Knight hurricanranas him on the floor, setting up a springboard clothesline. A sliding forearm gives Knight two and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher charging into an overhead belly to belly suplex to send him crashing over the top for a scary landing. An overhead belly to belly superplex gives Pac two but Knight is back up with a missile dropkick. Pac German suplexes him on the floor though and, after flipping off the crowd, wants the countout.

Knight beats the count back inside and jumps to the top for a top rope superplex. They forearm it out and Knight dropkicks him down, setting up the Coast To Coast. Knight’s UFO Splash hits raised knees though and Pac rolls him up. The Black Arrow hits raised knees and Knight rolls him up a few times, only to get pulled into the Brutalizer…as time expires for the draw at 20:00.

Rating: B. They have something with Knight who is athletic, has some size, and has momentum right now. That is worth a look, and hopefully it happens rather than seeing more with Mike Bailey. Pac getting aggressive (ok more aggressive) as time ran out was great, but Knight survived in a cool moment,. Nice job here.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Pac – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Jack Perry – 6 points (0 matches remaining)

Here is Gabe Kidd, who talks about hearing Darby Allin’s body bouncing down the steps. He said Allin isn’t indestructible and now Allin is in the ICU. Cue Allin (of course) with a baseball bat to chase Kidd off. The match is set for Worlds End.

Video on Mercedes Mone/Athena challenging the Babes Of Wrath for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Babes Of Wrath vs. Maya World/Hyan

Non-title. Hyan gets elbowed and side slammed for two to start. Nightingale drops Cameron onto Hyan for two more and everything breaks down. The running flip dive off the apron drops Hyan and World as we take a break. We come back with Nightingale suplexing both of them down and giving World a backbreaker. Everything breaks down and Soul Food into a swinging neckbreaker finishes Hyan at 7:01.

Rating: C. This was just a long squash and odds are that was the case due to the extended run time this week. Thankfully the Babes didn’t have any trouble here, which is a good way to go before they have their big title defense on Saturday. The team is still relatively new and they need some more reps so this wasn’t a bad idea.

Post match the Babes talk about being in New York, including going to Eddie Kingston’s mother’s house. They met Santa Claus and talked about wanting peace, except for in Chicago, because they’re going to hurt Mercedes Mone and Athena.

Continental Classic Blue League: Orange Cassidy (6 points) vs. Jon Moxley (6 points)

They fight over a piledriver/Beach Break to start before crashing out to the floor. Moxley wins a slugout but gets hammered in the corner back inside. Cassidy gets knocked outside and his elbow is banged into the barricade. Moxley is right on him with a whip into the steps but a Stundog Millionaire gives Cassidy a breather back inside. A top rope DDT drops Moxley back inside and we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy actually winning an exchange of forearms, setting up the Orange Punch. Moxley is sent outside for a suicide dive and they go onto the barricade, where Cassidy DDTs him through a table. They barely beat the count and Cassidy nails an Orange Punch. Moxley grabs the Gotch style piledriver for two but he comes up favoring his leg. Cassidy grabs a half crab but Moxley is quickly out, only to get caught with a running DDT. The Beach Break gets two and Cassidy goes for the leg, which is reversed into a small package to give Moxley the pin at 17:06.

Rating: B. These two do have chemistry together and it feels like something of an accomplishment for Moxley to beat Cassidy in a bigger match. At the same time, it’s interesting to see Cassidy just kind of floating around lately. He hasn’t had much to do in recent months and I’m not sure what changes that.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 13 points (0 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 6 points (0 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 6 points (0 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 3 points (0 matches remaining)

Video on the World Title match at Worlds End.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kazuchika Okada (6 points) vs. Mike Bailey (6 points)

They take turns backing each other up against the ropes and Okada has to avoid a tornado kick. Bailey sends him to the floor and hits a triangle moonsault, only to charge into a flapjack back inside. Instead a missile dropkick connects for Bailey, who walks into the neckbreaker onto the knee. Okada’s top rope elbow connects and he flips off the fans and they strike it out until we take a break.

We come back with Bailey winning a strike off (doesn’t seem too bright for Okada) but getting sunset flipped for two. The moonsault knees miss for Bailey but he avoids a charge and hits a springboard corkscrew moonsault to the floor. They go to the ramp where Bailey hits the moonsault knees to the chest and a kick to the face gets two back inside.

The Ultimate Weapon connects but Okada rolls outside before the cover. Back in and Okada hits a Rainmaker but another is cut off with a superkick. The Ultimate Weapon gets two so Bailey loads up the Flamingo Driver. That’s reversed as well but Okada misses the Rainmaker, only to grab the rollup for the pin at 16:08.

Rating: B. They had another good match here with Bailey feeling like a long shot at best to win the thing. Okada gets to move on to the next stage, because he is THE BEST TOURNAMENT WRESTLER EVER and since that is apparently a thing, he can survive to fight another day. It wraps up a pretty awesome group stage of the tournament and it worked well with a good match.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Pac – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (0 match remaining)
Jack Perry – 6 points (0 matches remaining)

Konosuke Takeshita comes out to stare Okada (his opponent at Worlds End) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a rather good show with a bunch of solid wrestling and a bit of drama as there were a few options for who might advance. This show was almost all about the Continental Classic, which makes sense as it has dominated the last month or so. They were focusing on the wrestling here and that is one of the best things AEW can do, though I’m almost scared of what comes next for them.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Jack Perry – Brainbuster
Konosuke Takeshita b. Mascara Dorada – Raging Fire
Roderick Strong b. Claudio Castagnoli – Jumping knee
Kevin Knight vs. Pac went to a time limit draw
Babes Of Wrath b. Hyan/Maya World – Swinging neckbreaker to Hyan
Jon Moxley b. Orange Cassidy – Small package
Kazuchika Okada b. Mike Bailey – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Collision
Date: December 17, 2025
Location: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second half (or last third) of the double show on Wednesday. We’re still in England and that means it’s time to have a rather rowdy crowd. There is always the chance that this winds up going well, as there are going to be some Continental Classic matches to help bring the show up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley says he likes the Continental Classic because it’s all about getting in the ring and seeing who wins. He likes to antagonize people and that’s what happened when he beat Roderick Strong in a tough match on Dynamite. Moxley left it all in the ring.

Continental Classic Blue League: Orange Cassidy (3 points) vs. Mascara Dorada (3 points)

They shake hands to start before going to the mat for the grappling. Dorada sends him bailing over to the ropes and Cassidy seems to know he needs to do something else. An armdrag sends Dorada over to the ropes as well and we take a break. We come back with Dorada flipping away from Cassidy, who is a bit confused.

Cassidy grabs a wristlock and teases walking the ropes but can’t decide which rope to walk. Instead he puts his hand in his pocket and jumps down. The hands in the pockets allow Cassidy to roll away and dropkick Dorada to the floor for a change. Something like an apron 619 staggers Cassidy, followed by the suicide dive.

A running shooting star off the apron hits Cassidy on the floor, followed by a springboard high crossbody for two back inside. A powerslam keeps Cassidy’s back in trouble and his spinning DDT is countered as Dorada extends his hands for a change. Another attempt connects but Dorada is right back with a backbreaker. They trade rollups for two each but the Orange Punch is blocked. Instead, Dorada tries a top rope armdrag, which is reversed into a crucifix to give Cassidy the win at 11:12.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to go, though I was wanting to see Dorada win here after mostly dominating the match. Cassidy couldn’t figure him out for the most part but did wind up winning with a smart rollup in the end. It was far from a bad match but it didn’t quite click as well as I was hoping.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 7 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Post match Cassidy gives Dorada his glasses in a show of respect.

Mercedes Mone and Athena aren’t happy with being asked if their win avenges their loss in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament. They want a title shot at World’s End and Mone will defend her Rev Pro Women’s Title on Collision. Uh the other Collision.

Jamie Hayter vs. Isla Dawn

They go to the mat for an early standoff until Hayter wins an exchange of strikes. Dawn sends her outside for a baseball slide and we take a break. We come back with stereo crossbodies leaving both of them down. Hayter gets up for a middle rope dropkick but Dawn grabs a snap belly to back suplex for two. A not great looking Haytebreaker sets up the Hayterade for the pin on Dawn at 6:50.

Rating: C+. You can only expect so much when about half of the match was spent in the break but it was nice to see Hayter get a boot on the way to her title match against Kris Statlander. Hayter is starting to get some of her old momentum back and if that can be rebuilt, AEW has quite the star on their hands. Dawn isn’t a big star, but she’s enough of a name that beating her still has some value so having her around in this spot makes sense.

Respect is shown post match but the Triangle Of Madness runs in to jump both of them. Kris Statlander runs in for the save but Hayter accidentally gives her Hayterade to leave her laying.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Bang Ban Gang

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is defending. Gunn and Wheeler start things off as the fans get to their singing. They fight over wrist control until Gunn takes over and hands it off to Robinson. A rake to the eye cuts Robinson off but he manages to fight out of the corner. Another cheap shot takes Robinson down but this time Gunn saves him from a double suplex. Wheeler gets catapulted out to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Gunn grabbing a small package but the referee is distracted. Wheeler knocks Gunn down again but dives into some raised boots. The tag brings Robinson back in to clean house, including a double clothesline. A spinebuster gets two on Harwood and his suplex is reversed into a small package for two more. Stokely’s powder doesn’t work and Robinson gets two off a rollup.

The Gang steals the PowerPlex for two on Harwood, with Wheeler’s splash hitting Harwood by mistake. The Fameasser gets two on Harwood but Wheeler sends Gunn crashing over the barricade. Gunn is able to come back and break up the Shatter Machine though and the left hand drops Harwood for two, thanks to a foot on the rope. Back up and FTR crush Robinson’s knee, setting up an Indian Deathlock to retain the titles at 14:31.

Rating: B. I liked the match but there was pretty much no reason to think that the titles were changing hands to the leftover pieces of the Gang. It was a match that was built up and that did it a lot of good, as the work had been put in to make it better. I’m not sure who is next for FTR, but the division needs some new teams to come after the belts.

Overall Rating: B-. This show felt pretty short and it was a bit under an hour due to Dynamite going long. It helps that two of the three matches felt important in one way or another and that made for a pretty easy show to watch. It’s not some kind of great show, but for something that came and went so fast, it could have been far worse.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Mascara Dorada – Crucifix
Jamie Hayter b. Isla Dawn – Hayterade
FTR b. Bang Bang Gang – Indian Deathlock to Gunn

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Dynamite
Date: December 17, 2025
Location: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re in England again and that should make for a big night. The last few weeks have gone rather well, with the Continental Classic being more than enough to carry the shows. The matches have been rather good and hopefully we get to see something on the same level this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley (3 points) vs. Roderick Strong (o points)

No entrances here and Moxley starts in on the arm but has to bail to the ropes to escape an ankle lock. A headlock takeover drops Strong but he’s back up with a dragon screw legwhip. Strong stomps the leg in the corner and backdrops Moxley out to the floor. The brawl in the crowd goes to Strong, who is back with a suicide dive against the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Strong slipping out of a crossface before countering a cradle piledriver. Strong slams him down and goes after the legs again, which sends Moxley bailing to the floor. A backbreaker onto the steps has Moxley in more trouble and a top rope suplex makes it worse.

They forearm it out until Moxley hits a hard lariat. We have five minutes left as Moxley hits a cutter for two. A piledriver gets two more and Moxley grabs a crossface chinlock, sending Strong rolling over to the rope. Strong’s jumping knee gets two and the Stronghold goes on, but Strong switches up his grip. Moxley kicks him away and hits a Paradigm Shift for a delayed two. The Death Rider finishes Strong at 18:11.

Rating: B-. Moxley needed the win to stay alive and there was almost no way he was going to be eliminated so soon. Moxley is still one of the biggest names in AEW and having him make a comeback like this is a fine way to go. Strong is still someone who can have a good match with anyone, and this worked well for a longer opening match.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 7 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Jon Moxley – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Eddie Kingston talks about learning from his loss to Samoa Joe and that’s going to be a problem for everyone he faces after that match. An open challenge is implied for Collision.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Don Callis Family vs. Elite

For $1 million. Omega and Takeshita start things off and the fans are already singing for the former. They run the ropes until Omega grabs an armdrag into an armbar. The Bucks come in to clean house, including a triple team shot to the head to a cornered Takeshita. We take a break and come back with Nick rolling away from Hechicero to make the tag off to Omega. Hechicero goes to the eyes to cut him off but Okada and Takeshita almost get into it again.

Omega manages a suplex to Okada and (after slipping) hits You Can’t Escape to Hechicero. Okada comes back in but gets sent outside by the Bucks. That means a triple dive from the Elite, only for Hechicero to hit the hammerlock backbreaker on Matt. We take a break and come back with Matt fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a flipping Stunner off the apron. Okada gets faceplanted back inside and it’s back to Nick to clean house with his usual array.

Risky Business gets two on Takeshita and a Canadian Destroyer drops Hechicero, meaning it’s time for the big Omega vs. Okada showdown. They chop it out for a bit until the other four come back in to break it up. Omega knees Okada down and brings Nick back in to face Takeshita. Everything breaks down and the Meltzer Driver is broken up by Okada.

A running knee gets two on Matt but Takeshita and Okada get in another argument. Hechicero tries to calm it down, only for Nick to fire off some superkicks. Omega is back in with the snapdragons and a triple superkick hits Hechicero. A spike One Winged Angel gives Omega the pin at 22:32.

Rating: B. It was the good match you would have expected from these guys and I’m sure the UK fans were happy to get to see the Elite in the ring. That’s not the worst idea in the world and it’s at least a match with some history. The money stuff doesn’t feel overly important but it’s probably worth more than the Trios Titles at this point.

Post match Okada and Takeshita lay out the Bucks but get into it again. Omega makes the save with a broom.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe (with the Opps) to sign the contract for World’s End. Joe knows Strickland and Page will destruct in the match so he signs. Swerve talks about how he has some mutual respect with Page, but there is a mutual hatred with Joe. He promises to leave a boot print on Joe’s face that was uglier than his fake tattoo in 2007.

Swerve signs and that leaves just Page, who talks about how they all worked together to get the World Title off of Jon Moxley. Any of them could have done it but Page wound up pulling it off. Then Page gave both of them title shots and Joe chose to side with the Opps. Page doesn’t want Joe to be remembered as what he is today. He was ready to defend the title against anyone who helped him, including Joe. Now he isn’t sure who is going to leave World’s End with the title, but it’s going to be someone new. And then the lights go out…and MJF is back.

MJF wastes no time and cashes in his contract, making the match a four way. After throwing Schiavone out, MJF talks about how he’s been working to prove that he’s not a coward. Joe gets in MJF’s face but actually gets cut off. MJF wants to prove to Joe and these people that he really is great and promises to end Joe’s title reign at the same place where Joe ended MJF’s reign.

That brings MJF to Swerve, who he compares to P Diddy. The fans know him as Swerve but MJF has known him for years as Shane. He remembers Swerve going to WWE (the fans don’t like it) and he remembers Swerve twerking for Top Dolla. Then Swerve came here and has done rather well, though not as well as MJF. It’s his house and the rent is due at World’s End. He hits the catchphrase and we’re out, with MJF not saying much out of the ordinary, though it’s nice to have him back.

Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight fire each other up for their upcoming matches.

Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne/Athena/Mercedes Mone vs. Babes Of Wrath/Timeless Love Bombs

Athena drops Cameron to start but gets taken down with Soul Food. Shafir comes in and gets legsweeped down, allowing Shirakawa to come in with a slingshot twisting splash. Shirakawa takes over on Shafir’s leg and DDTs Bayne at the same time. Everything breaks down and we take an early break.

We come back with Cameron managing a spinning DDT on Bayne, allowing the tag off to Storm. The running hip attack hits Shafir in the corner and they slug it out until Storm nails a headbutt. Nightingale comes in to but Bayne’s spine for two but the Babe With The Powerbomb is broken up. A super hurricanrana drops Nightingale and Shirakawa hits a dive to the floor. Mone’s dive is cut off by a Pounce from Nightingale and there’s a flip dive to drop Bayne outside. Back in and a quick O Face finishes Nightingale at 9:25.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a ton of time with so many people involved but they did what they could. Athena getting the pin is a nice surprise as she has some hit and miss results on AEW. I’m not sure if I would have had one of the new champions take the fall here, but there were only so many options if Storm and Shirakawa can’t lose either.

Continental Classic Gold League: Pac (3 points) vs. Kyle Fletcher (6 points)

Pac grabs an armdrag into an armbar to start and it works so well that he does it again. A running hurricanrana sends Fletcher outside, where he hits a clothesline, allowing posing to ensue. Back in and Pac breaks up a quick chinlock by sending Fletcher outside for a running hurricanrana. Fletcher gets back inside and goes up top, where Pac runs the corner for a belly to belly superplex and we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of forearms until Fletcher grabs the Michinoku Driver for two. Pac kicks him in the face so Fletcher rolls outside, where Pac scores with a big dive. Back in and a tiger suplex gives Pac two, followed by a poisonrana. Fletcher pops up with a kick to the face and a powerbomb for two. Pac escapes the brainbuster though and gets the Brutalizer, only for a foot to make the rope. One heck of a running clothesline gives Pac two but Fletcher kicks him into the corner. The brainbuster gives Fletcher two and they go to the corner, where a super poisonrana plants Fletcher. The Black Arrow gives Pac the pin at 14:57.

Rating: B+. This was the hard hitting, back and forth fight that you would have expected from these two. That made for a pretty awesome match and it’s nice to see Pac getting a win as he seems to put a lot of people over. It made for the best match of the show thus far and makes the tournament that much more interesting.

Gold League Standings

Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Pac – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Jack Perry – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal

Luchasaurus, Ace Austin, Shelton Benjamin, Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Josh Alexander, Mark Davis, Brody King, Bandido, Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona, Ricochet

The last two face off for the ring next week. It’s a big brawl on the floor to start until Benjamin and Luchasaurus trade clotheslines. That’s broken up and the former Acclaimed tease working together before splitting off. We do however get a Scissor Me Timbers to Liona but the scissoring reunion is broken up as Ricochet eliminates Caster. Benjamin is back in to knock all of the Demand outside for no eliminations as people keep coming in and out.

Bowens neckbreakers Ricochet but gets eliminated instead as we take a break. We come back with Austin out as well, leaving Davis and King to forearm it out. Benjamin throws Ricochet to Luchasaurus for a chokeslam but Benjamin, Davis and Luchasaurus are all eliminated in a row. King has to fight out of the corner and Death Valley Drivers Ricochet into Kaun in the corner. A bunch of the people head outside until Liona grabs Bandido by the throat. King hits a running charge, eliminating himself and Liona at the same time. Bandido dumps Kaun and Ricochet gets back in, meaning they’re the last two for the win at 11:07.

Rating: C. The action was fine but it’s a bad sign when I have almost no idea who is still in or out of the match because so many people are on the floor. It doesn’t help that it’s for yet another prize rather than one of the far too many titles. This wasn’t much to see, though Ricochet vs. Bandido should be awesome.

Overall Rating: B. Not so great main event aside, this went well with the Continental Classic carrying things as usual. The MJF return was the big story of the show and it went well, though he didn’t quite hit his full on ceiling. Other than that, the show worked well, with the wrestling working well and the fans being hot throughout. Solid show here, as tends to be the case with the Continental Classic editions.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Roderick Strong – Death Rider
Elite b. Don Callis Family – Spike One Winged Angel to Hechicero
Marina Shafir/Mercedes Mone/Athena/Megan Bayne b. Timeless Love Bombs/Babes Of Wrath – O Face to Nightingale
Bandido and Ricochet won the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal

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